DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

HEADQUARTERS

8725 JOHN J. KINGMAN ROAD

FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA 22060-6221

June 1, 2015 

MEMORANDUM FOR DLA EXECUTIVE BOARD

SUBJECT: Guidance – Employee Death in Service

As we continue to take steps to bolster and fortify the resilience of our workforce, one 

particularly sensitive area is how the agency deals with the death in service of a DLA employee. 

While this is thankfully a rare occurrence, the death of a team member is a significant and 

stressful event for co-workers and friends. DLA organizations that experience a loss of a team 

member will face a number of sensitive issues, and this guidance is designed to address questions 

that supervisors, managers, and employees may have about their roles and responsibilities 

regarding the family, staff, and others. 

In addition to the DLA Instruction that addresses the topic (DLAI 6105, “Notification for 

Serious Illness, Injury, or Death of Civilian Employees,” found at 

https://hqc.dla.mil/issuances/Documents/i6105.pdf), J1 has developed the attached toolkit with 

standardized guidance to assist organizations dealing with the death of an employee. Attachment 

1 is guidance that provides an orderly and consistent approach for supervisors to follow during 

these difficult circumstances. Attachment 2 is a Supervisory Checklist covering the necessary 

steps a supervisor must take after such an event. Attachment 3 is designed to provide employees 

guidance on steps they can and should take to ensure their family members have the necessary 

information (e.g., points of contact, benefits forms) in the unfortunate event of their own death. 

The attachments are available at: 

https://eworkplace.dla.mil/sites/S8/Pages/toolkit----death-of-DLA-employee.aspx. 

This is a useful site for supervisors and managers to bookmark for easy access should 

they face a loss in their organizations. For additional assistance or more information, please 

contact Mr. Mike Wlazlak, DSN 771-5478 or email: michael.wlazlak@dla.civ or your DLA 

Human Resources Customer Account Manager. 

Brad Bunn

Director

DLA Human Resources

Attachments: 

1. What To Do When an Employee Dies in Service

2. Supervisory Checklist

3. Employee Information
Attachment 1

DLA Guidance for Supervisors & Managers

What to Do When an Employee Dies In Service

The following guidance establishes a standardized enterprise process in the event an employee 

dies in service. Employees working in offices who have lost a staff member may experience a 

number of feelings over the days and weeks after the event. Strong personal bonds are often 

formed within work groups, and the experience of grieving a coworker's death can be profound. 

Offices which have recently experienced a loss are presented with a number of issues. There may 

be difficulties with productivity and attendance for those most affected by the loss. Decisions 

about the employee's possessions, workspace and job responsibilities will have to be made; it is 

important that these decisions are made with sensitivity for all those affected. Acknowledging 

and discussing the impact of the loss can help with the process. 

In these unfortunate circumstances, supervisors and managers are left with questions about what 

their roles and responsibilities are to the family, staff, and enterprise. This guidance provides an 

orderly and consistent approach for supervisors to follow during this most stressful event. 

What do I do upon learning of the loss of a civilian employee?

The first step is to review the DLA Instruction 6105, Notification for Serious Illness, Injury, or 

Death of Civilian Employees at this link, https://hqc.dla.mil/issuances/Documents/i6105.pdf. 

This policy establishes a systematic process for providing notification and assistance in matters 

related to serious illness, injury, or death of civilian employees. DLA activities have an 

important responsibility to provide assistance and counsel to employees, their families, or 

designated next of kin in connection with the serious illness, injury, or death of an employee 

whether it occurs on or off the job. 

When do I contact DLA Human Resources and what happens after I do?

You should immediately contact your Customer Account Manager (CAM) at the DLA Human 

Resources Services (DHRS) for assistance in providing information to the deceased employee’s 

family, or designated next of kin regarding benefits, entitlements, and responsibilities 

(https://employees.hr.dla.mil/contactus/). It should be noted the DHRS cannot provide 

Management/Supervisors with family members, designation of beneficiary, or next of kin 

information due to privacy considerations. DHRS will assign a single point of contact to each 

case and will inform beneficiaries of any potential benefits entitlements in writing. All necessary 

claim forms will be provided promptly, and assistance given in completing and processing the 

forms. You should also contact your Payroll Center of Excellence/Timekeeper for proper coding 

of the employee’s time sheet and to be sure all necessary documents that payroll requires are 

provided in a timely manner. 

How to tell my employees about the news?

Be sure to set a time for all to meet, or call in if you have employees not co-located with you. Be 

as straightforward as possible when addressing your staff and share insight and appreciation on 
DLA Guidance

What to Do When an Employee Dies In Service

2

how your employee contributed to the team and office. Let your staff know that they may 

request leave to take the day off, if needed. If some of your employees were away on vacation or 

ill, try to reach them by phone. If that is not possible, then arrange to meet with them in person 

on their return. This information is best delivered in person whenever possible, rather than 

through e-mail or other written announcement. Advise your staff that to the maximum extent 

possible and subject to mission requirements, employees will be permitted to use annual leave, 

compensatory time, or credit hours to attend funeral or memorial services for a co-worker should 

the services be scheduled during the duty day. 

Should I involve Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors and/or the Chaplain 

when discussing with my staff?

When informing the staff, arranging for grief counseling by an EAP counselor and/or Chaplain

(if available) is an effective approach, however, not always feasible. In the days following the 

news, you should arrange for an EAP counselor and/or Chaplain to come to the workplace to be 

available for your staff. When you contact EAP, you will be asked to provide whatever relevant 

information is available regarding the death of the employee and your assessment of the staff’s 

reaction to the situation. A one to two hour debriefing session or meeting for employees should 

be scheduled as soon as possible. This meeting should be voluntary. Interested employees are 

encouraged to attend and should be given an opportunity to speak. There may be individual 

employees, identified by you or by the EAP counselors, who may need one-on-one attention, due 

to the severity of their grief reaction.

What if my employee is not co-located with me?

When warranted, another DLA activity more conveniently located may be requested to provide 

personal notification to the family or persons designated. DLA activities will provide personnel 

to accomplish family or designee notification and assistance. If there is no DLA activity in the 

vicinity of the next of kin and travel would unduly delay the notification, support may be 

requested from another DOD activity for notification assistance.

How are personal and work related effects handled?

The personal effects of your staff member must be collected, inventoried, and safeguarded until 

they can be given to the family members. You will, in most cases, be responsible for 

inventorying and packaging the employee's personal effects. These items should be given 

personally to the family or designated next of kin either during a condolence visit, during a 

benefits information visit by a human resources specialist or by delivery to family members who 

elect to come onsite. Only in rare cases should the items be mailed. In all cases, a written record 

should be kept of items provided to the next of kin. You must maintain the record as long as 

necessary, but no less than two years. You will also need to make arrangements for the return of 

Government property in the charge of the employee, including Government credit cards, civilian 

identification card, office keys, issued equipment, etc. These arrangements should be made after 

the initial notification visit, when the employee's survivors are ready to consider practical 

matters. A sample for a personal visit notification is provided in Enclosure 3 of DLAI 6105.
DLA Guidance

What to Do When an Employee Dies In Service

3

Does DLA have an official condolence letter?

Yes. Official condolence letters will be sent by you to the next of kin when an employee dies. 

The letter should be personal and sympathetic in tone, and should offer assistance whenever 

possible. A sample of a condolence letter is provided in Enclosure 3 of DLAI 6105.

How does the staff honor the deceased employee?

The relationship the employee had with co-workers will often determine how the workplace 

decides to honor and memorialize the deceased. Examples of work group responses include: 

creating a memorial bulletin board with photos and other meaningful images, holding a 

workplace event such as a luncheon or reception to honor the deceased employee, and inviting 

family members and close friends outside of work to share their memories with the group. You 

might also create a memory book filled with stories and sentiments from co-workers to give to 

the family. 

What about staff coverage for unfinished or future work assignments?

A temporary, short-term plan can be put into place until a more permanent decision can be made. 

It is best to put a temporary plan into action as soon as possible to lessen the level of anxiety that 

may be present among the staff. Make it clear what is needed and who is responsible.

What do I do about the employee’s vacant office space?

It is best not to make any abrupt moves in regard to space changes; people need time to grieve 

the loss of their co-worker before seeing his or her workstation cleared or reassigned. 

What about the new employee?

Under the best of circumstances, a new employee needs to be prepared for possible negative 

comparisons with the deceased employee. If the deceased was particularly well-liked, the 

transition will be even more difficult. It is recommended to give staff notice of the new 

employee’s start date, relevant work background and to prepare them for the change. 

What happens if we experience a loss of work productivity and motivation?

As the manager, the death of an employee may result in lower productivity and motivation for a 

brief time. The debriefing held soon after the announcement will ease the impact of loss, but it 

may not be avoided entirely. Eventually, the work unit will return to its normal level of 

functioning.

What if after some time has passed one or more employees are still showing signs of 

depression and a lack of productivity?

If one to two months pass and you notice that one of your employees has not returned to his or 

her normal level of functioning and appears to still be grieving, talk with that employee, give 

them feedback on what you have observed, and share your concerns about them. You may 

suggest that they seek counseling from EAP or another support mechanism (e.g., health care 

provider or church leader). Often a loss in one area of someone’s life, as in the loss of a coworker, triggers unresolved feelings about previous losses or anticipated losses. This person 

may need extra assistance in coping with these feelings. 
Attachment 2

SUPERVISOR’S CHECKLIST

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMPLOYEE DEATH IN SERVICE

The initial checklist below will assist supervisors with the process/procedures in the event 

of an employee death.

Note: Any death of an employee will be reported immediately by the head or designated 

representative of the activity where the incident occurs to the DLA Logistics Operations (J3) or 

the DLA Staff Duty Officer (SDO) after hours, for processing according to the DLA Situation 

Reporting (SITREP) at https://headquarters.dla.mil/DES/policy/i6106.pdf.

_____ Upon notification of the employee’s death, obtain the name, phone number, relationship 

to the deceased employee from the individual calling, and funeral arrangements if available. 

_____ The employee's supervisor or designated representative is responsible for ensuring proper 

notification occurs within the enterprise and assistance is provided to the family members, or the 

designated next of kin. Advisory services are available i.e., Chaplain, Employee Assistance 

Program (EAP) to assist in making notifications.

_____ The supervisor or designated representative will prepare an official condolence letters to 

be sent by his/her activity to the next of kin when an employee dies. The letter should be 

personal and sympathetic in tone and should offer assistance whenever possible. A sample of a 

condolence letter is provided in DLAI 6105, Enclosure 3.

_____ The supervisor or designated representative will contact the DLA Human Resources 

Services for assistance in providing information to the deceased employee’s family, or 

designated next of kin regarding benefits, entitlements, and responsibilities 

(https://employees.hr.dla.mil/contactus/). It should be noted the DHRS cannot provide 

Management/Supervisors with family members, designation of beneficiary, or next of kin 

information due to privacy considerations. DHRS will assign a single point of contact to each 

case and will inform beneficiaries of any potential benefits entitlements in writing. All necessary 

claim forms will be provided promptly, and assistance given in completing and processing the 

forms. 

_____Contact your Payroll Center of Excellence/Timekeeper for proper coding of the 

employee’s time sheet and to be sure all necessary documents that payroll requires are provided 

in a timely manner. 

_____ Supervisors will also make arrangements for the return of Government property in the 

charge of the employee, including Government credit cards, civilian identification Card, office 

keys, issued equipment, etc. These arrangements should be made after the initial notification 

visit, when the employee's survivors are ready to consider practical matters. A sample for a 

personal visit notification is provided in DLAI Enclosure 3. 
DLA Guidance

Supervisor’s Checklist – Employee Death

2

_____ The personal effects of a deceased employee in the workplace or in the custody of a DLA 

activity will be collected, inventoried, and safeguarded until they can be given to the next of kin. 

The employee's supervisor will, in most cases, be responsible for inventorying and packaging the 

employee's personal effects. These items should be given personally to the next of kin either 

during a condolence visit, during a benefits information visit by a personnel specialist or by 

delivery to family members who elect to come onsite. Only in rare cases will the items be 

mailed. In all cases, a written record should be kept of items provided to the next of kin. This 

record will be maintained as long as necessary, but no less than 2 years. 

_____ Supervisors in DLA activities are responsible for maintaining emergency contact 

information for all employees, to include the name, address, and telephone number of the 

employee's next of kin in the Electronic Official Personnel File (EOPF). This information will be 

safeguarded in accordance with Privacy Act requirements. Employees will be requested to 

update this information annually and as changes occur. 
Attachment 3

Information & Advice to DLA Employees

Preparing Your Family Members

Nobody likes to think about our own death, especially how it would impact our families. 

However, preparing your loved ones in the event of your death and following these 

recommendations will help DLA in assisting your family through an extremely difficult and 

stressful time. What is particularly important is making sure your family members have point of 

contact information for your home organization, your supervisor, your servicing DLA Human 

Resources Office, as well as important benefits information. It’s a good idea to take the time to 

update your emergency contact information and designations of beneficiary, and be aware of the 

many resources available for your family in the event of your death. The following are 

recommendations, information, and links which provide useful information for you to have in a 

secure and accessible place at your home so your family members have all necessary information 

in the event it is needed. 

1. While it is your supervisor’s responsibility to contact the DLA Human Resources Services 

for assistance in providing information to your family or designated next of kin regarding 

benefits, entitlements, and responsibilities as a result of a death in service, it is your 

responsibility to ensure your emergency POC information is up to date. This information 

will be safeguarded in accordance with Privacy Act requirements. Employees will be 

requested to update this information annually and as changes occur. You can update your 

personal information MyBiz and/or EOPF. These may be accessed at

http://www.hr.dla.mil/tools/. 

2. Be sure to have your DLA activity’s general phone number as well as your supervisor’s 

phone number accessible for your family. Your supervisor is responsible for ensuring proper 

notification occurs of a death in service within the enterprise and assistance is provided to 

family members, or the designated next of kin.

3. Keep DLA Human Resources Services contact information available in case there is a need 

to reach out to a human resource specialist. DHRS contact information is located at 

http://www.hr.dla.mil/contactus/.

4. Review and update your Designation of Beneficiary forms regularly and following life events 

such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, etc. The order of precedence and/or designations 

of beneficiaries determine how benefits are paid in the event of your death. Designations of 

beneficiary for Federal Employees Group Life Insurance, Federal Employees Retirement 

System and Unpaid Compensation are filed in your electronic Official Personnel Folder 

(eOPF) which can be accessed at: https://eopf1.nbc.gov/dla/. Designations of beneficiary for 

the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) are filed directly with TSP. Information on completing 

designations of beneficiary is found at: http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/lifeinsurance/designating-a-beneficiary/#url=Designation-of-Beneficiary.